Milling & Baking News - August 30, 2005 - 17

P E O P L E

Abenante taking early retirement;
search for successor launched
WASHINGTON - The American Bakers Association is launching
a search for a new president
and chief executive officer,
following the recent decision
by Paul C. Abenante, the
group's current top executive, to take early retirement.
Gary J. Prince, A.B.A.
chairman, said the Executive
Committee of the A.B.A. will
act as search committee for
Abenante
Mr. Abenante's replacement.

While the intent will be to find a successor by Dec. 31, Mr. Abenante, who is 58, has agreed to
stay on until "arrangements
for a successor have been finalized," Mr. Prince said.
The Executive Committee
is planning to begin interviews for Mr. Abenante's successor shortly, and Mr. Prince
said recommendations may
be available for the fall A.B.A.
board of directors meeting. MBN

Sara Lee Food & Beverage hires
Kim Feil to lead retail marketing
CHICAGO - Sara Lee Food & Beverage
has named Kim Feil senior vice-president
and chief marketing officer to lead all
marketing efforts for the company's retail
brands in North America, including Sara
Lee, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire
Farm, Ball Park and Senseo.
Ms. Feil, 46, will assume
her responsibilities effective
Sept. 6 and will report to Sara
Lee Food & Beverage chief
executive officer Christopher
J. Fraleigh.
"We are delighted to have
an accomplished marketing
executive of Kim's stature join
Sara Lee Food & Beverage in Feil
a critically important role,"
Mr. Fraleigh said. "She has an incredibly
strong track record of building brands
across a range of consumer product categories at major consumer product companies. She combines command of brand,
consumer and field marketing with

experience in sales, direct-store delivery
operations and strategic planning."
Ms. Feil will lead brand marketing,
promotions and market research for Sara
Lee Food & Beverage, the North American retail food organization
of Sara Lee Corp.
With more than 20 years
of experience, she joins Sara
Lee Food & Beverage from
Kimberly-Clark Corp., where
she was vice-president and
senior marketing officer of
that company's North Atlantic businesses, including
health and hygiene products
marketed under the Huggies,
Kleenex and Scott brands. She
also has held marketing, sales and strategic planning positions with Cadbury
Schweppes, Information Resources, Inc.,
and PepsiCo., Inc. She has led food and
beverage brands such as Doritos, Ruffles,
KFC, 7-UP, Canada Dry and A&W. MBN

Richard Thompson, AIPC founder,
steps down from board of directors
KANSAS CITY - Richard C. Thompson, founder and former chief executive
officer of American Italian Pasta Co.,
has resigned from the Kansas City-based
pasta maker's board of directors.
Mr. Thompson's resignation, detailed in
an Aug. 11 filing by AIPC with the Securities and Exchange Commission, followed
by two days the company's disclosure
that it was delaying its quarterly financial
filings and that the S.E.C. was conducting
a review of trading activity in the company's shares as well as other matters related
to AIPC business. The filing did not say
why Mr. Thompson stepped down.
18 / Milling & Baking News, August 30, 2005

Mr. Thompson has not been part of
AIPC management since 1991. He is currently president and c.e.o. of The Meow
Mix Co. in Secaucus, N.J. Mr. Thompson
founded AIPC in January 1987, building a
$28 million state-of-the-art semolina mill
and pasta plant in Excelsior Springs, Mo.
AIPC and the American-Italian Milling
Co. were formed as joint ventures of Mr.
Thompson, then a Denver investor, and Spigadoro-Petrini S.p.A., the tenth largest pasta
and milling company in Italy at the time.
Commenting at the facility's groundbreaking Jan. 30, 1987, in Excelsior
Springs, Mr. Thompson said that the new

Sullivan retires
from Interstate
Bakeries board
KANSAS CITY - The board of
directors of Interstate Bakeries
Corp. announced Charles A.
Sullivan has retired from the
board, effective immediately.
"It has always been my intention to
retire as a
director after my 70th
b i r t h d a y, "
Mr. Sullivan
said. "Now
that
the
company's
restructuring is well
under way, Sullivan
I feel confident in the ability of our management team and board to provide
the leadership necessary for the
future of the company."
Leo Benatar, chairman of the
board,
commented,
"Chuck
Sullivan's leadership has played
a valuable role in I.B.C.'s history
for more than 17 years. We are
deeply indebted to him for his
loyal and dedicated service."
Mr. Sullivan joined Interstate
Bakeries in 1988 following
I.B.C.'s acquisition of American
Bakeries, where Mr. Sullivan was
president. In March of 1989 Mr.
Sullivan was promoted to c.e.o.
of I.B.C., a position he held until
October 2002. He was appointed
chairman of the board in 1991
and served in that capacity until
September 2003. MBN

venture would "produce what we believe
will be a superior American pasta product at the most effective pricing."
AIPC was Mr. Thompson's fourth
successful entrepreneurial venture. As
a teenager, he produced candle holders, logos and salad dressings for Pizza
Hut. The effort was profitable enough to
allow him to sell out at the age of 17 and
move to Honduras, where he built and
operated a small island resort.
Mr. Thompson stepped down from
day-to-day operating duties with AIPC
in mid-1991, when the company's board
of directors approved a reorganization
change that included the election of Horst
W. Schroeder to chairman and promotion
of Timothy Webster to president. MBN
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Milling & Baking News - August 30, 2005

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